The Big Apple of the United States has had an unusual and unexpected celebrity during the last two weeks. Last February 2 an eagle owl, a species from Eurasia, escaped from the Central Park Zoo and since then it has caused a stir not only among local ornithologists and officials trying to bring it to the safety of the sanctuary, but also among passers-by, tourists, and anyone who has had the chance to spot this wary individual in Manhattan’s urban park. .
But it has also left serious concerns among zoo specialists, since it is uncertain that a specimen such as this, raised all its life in the care of the enclosure, could survive out in the open without having developed the characteristic hunting skills of the wild owls. One of the expected scenarios of not being able to recapture it, like this, was to find it dead from starvation. However, this owl proves that this is not as true as once thought.
Skinny, as this owl is called, managed to escape from its cage after it was vandalized by someone unknown. According to a zoo press statement, a team and police officers have been searching for him and he has been reported in the vicinity of Central Park. For example, David Barrett, a New York bird watcher, is collecting photos and videos of these sightings on his Twitter account @Manhattan Bird Alert.
Flaco the Eurasian Eagle-Owl by Rumsey Playfield in Central Park today, giving his admirers some of his best-ever daytime views in warmth and sunshine. pic.twitter.com/Ez680TuQf7
— Manhattan Bird Alert (@BirdCentralPark) February 16, 2023
But the capture attempts and the concern for Flaco’s life subsided when, as officially reported by the zoo, monitoring teams discovered to their surprise that this owl was already successfully hunting and eating prey. “We have seen a rapid improvement in their flying skills and in their ability to maneuver deftly around the park. At first, a major concern for everyone was whether Phaco would be able to hunt and eat. But this is no longer a concern,” says a statement issued by the zoo, whose staff also assured that they will continue to monitor it until they find the appropriate moment to return it safely to its enclosure.
(Also read: The explanation for the mysterious behavior of crows that worries the world)
Flaco evokes the case of Barry, a female owl famously loved by the entire city until her death in 2021, or that of the mandarin duck that also appeared in Central Park at the end of 2018 and whose colors and exotic presence quickly made it another viral star. from New York, a city that treasures birds. This city is home to one of the largest communities of observers and lovers of these animals, and each of its five districts houses specialized spaces for carrying out this activity.
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